The reasons break down into the following categories:
1. The manager’s list of required skills is too long and the manager is unwilling to compromise – does that remind you of the unmarried 38-year-old who is still looking for the perfect marriage partner?
2. The salary offered is insufficient for the market place – why would an employee work for you at less money than they could command elsewhere?
3. Managers are afraid to pay a new employee more than existing employee with a similar skill set – just because you found an item on sale last year, can you always expect to find the item on sale today?
4. Managers may be unduly focused on experience while neglecting aptitude – if a person has the three golden attributes of intelligence, hard work, and a positive attitude, then could not they master the skill you are seeking?
If you are in staffing business and you are faced with a mission impossible job requirement, what should you do? If your client is unwilling to be flexible upward on salary or is unwilling to be flexible downward on skills by narrowing the required set of skills, then go find another job requirement to work on because you're wasting your time.
If you are hiring manager and you are finding no perfect candidates, then take a fresh look at your job requirement. Narrow down your list of required skills to just three major items and move the other skills to a preferred skills category.
If you are seeing candidates who are making more than your initial salary target, then you have three options:
1. You can consider candidates with fewer skills but with the aptitude to master the skills they lack
2. Increase your salary range to meet the marketplace
3. Consider paying relocation for an out-of-town candidate
I decided in early 2010 to add an account coordinator to our growing firm. We are a search and staffing firm in the information technology arena. An account coordinator interfaces directly with both clients and candidates to facilitate the hiring process.
I could have narrowed my search for an individual who knew the staffing business. I could have narrowed my search for an individual with a deep background in information technology since IT is our sandbox. I could have even held out for a candidate who knew both the staffing business and information technology. In fact, I interviewed candidates who had both staffing industry experience and information technology knowledge.
Instead I chose to hire candidate who knew neither the staffing business nor information technology. Why would I do that? Because I wanted fresh thinking from an individual who had the golden skills I listed earlier: intelligence, work ethic, and a positive attitude. Six months later that individual is a superstar who has to a largely mastered both the staffing industry and information technology.
I have had in recent years a part-time real estate career. I worked with one buyer couple for several weeks who gave me a long list of requirements and the upper limit of the price right. After we had looked at scores of properties in their quoted price range, they told me that they found nothing that they liked. I finally convinced them to consider paying more knowing that they could afford more. We then looked at houses that met their requirements and they immediately purchased a lovely home. After the closing, the buyer remarked, “We were amazed at how many wonderful houses exist when we increased our price range.”
So if you are hiring manager and you are having difficulty filling a position, consider either reducing the required skills or increasing the compensation range. The choices are really that simple. Or you could waste countless more hours searching for that candidate with all the skills you need who is grossly underpaid.
I welcome your thoughts at:
pat.turner@visionairepartners.com
404-303-6246
